


I've Got My Library Card, and I'm Checking You Out

by hobbit_hedgehog



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Library, Fluff, Humor, M/M, haikyuu valentine exchange 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 07:15:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13699560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hobbit_hedgehog/pseuds/hobbit_hedgehog
Summary: Daichi used to work at the school library, but the cute librarian who's helping him find his book doesn't need to know that.For slptee as a part of the Haikyuu!! Valentine Exchange 2018.  Happy (belated) Valentine's Day!





	I've Got My Library Card, and I'm Checking You Out

**Author's Note:**

  * For [slptee on tumblr](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=slptee+on+tumblr).



> Hey Team! Happy belated Valentine's Day! This is for tumblr user slptee as a part of the Haikyuu!! Valentine Exchange 2018. I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day, and I hope you enjoy this fic!

It occurred to Daichi that, as he stood in front of the towering bookshelf, he really should have paid more attention to the library's layout when he still worked there.  He could have _sworn_ that the books on tree biology were on the third floor.  Unless the library changed their own system in the year that he hadn't worked there, they should have been in the fifth row on the right off of the main aisle.  Yet, there he was, standing in front of the insect biology books.  Daichi sighed; all he needed was one book, one measly book on grafting for his plant biology project, but no.  Daichi would have called it quits if it wasn't the exact book his professor told him to get.  He was about to head to a search computer when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"You look a little lost," the newcomer whispered.  "Can I help you find something?"

For a moment, Daichi was awestruck.  The man standing next to him had the softest gray hair he'd ever seen, and a smile as blinding as the sun.  The man's eyes had a twinkle to them that suggested a mischievous personality.  He had on a light purple button up shirt on with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows with a rumpled white shirt underneath.  Whoever this man was, he was exactly Daichi's type.  Daichi hoped his jaw had only dropped halfway to the floor, it'd be easier to pick up.

"Sorry if I startled you," the man was saying.  "I work here, and it just looked like you needed some help."

"Actually, I was having a hard time finding books on trees and grafting," Daichi said, mentally congratulating himself for not stuttering.

The librarian's face lit up, "Oh, I know where those are!  Those are with our books about gardening, follow me."

The librarian motioned for Daichi to follow him, and the two left the aisle.  As it happened, the gardening section was on the second floor, not the third.  Once they were on the second floor, Daichi felt that he could have easily found the book himself, but there was something about that librarian.  Daichi wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't want the man to leave.  The librarian located the section with ease, pointing Daichi towards the fifth aisle on the right hand side.

"There you go!" the librarian said, gesturing towards the middle of the aisle.  "Once you're set, the circulation desk is downstairs."

Daichi wasn't too proud to admit that he let his gaze linger longer than necessary when the librarian walked away.  Once the other man was out of sight, Daichi returned his attention to the books.  He found what he was looking for, in the exact spot he had looked for it one floor up.  Daichi took the book, then made his way back down to the main floor.  Much to his surprise, the librarian was waiting at the circulation desk with a short man with spiked brown hair.  He laughed at something the other man said, letting out an audible snort that made Daichi's heart stop for a few moments.

Oh.  That explained a few things.

"Did you need something, man?"

Daichi snapped back to reality to find the two librarians giving him a look.  He realized that he had been staring and quickly made his way over to the desk.  Daichi set his books down on the counter, then immediately began to look for his wallet.  Looking for his student ID was infinitely better than making eye contact with either librarian.

"So, found what you were looking for?" the silver haired librarian asked.

"I did, yeah," Daichi said, pulling out his ID.  He handed it to the librarian as he continued, "I'm taking a botany class and we have to write a paper on something relating trees, so I picked grafting, and I feel like I'm probably rambling at this point so I'm going to stop now."

The librarian chuckled, taking Daichi's ID from him.  "It's okay, I was going to ask what these were for anyway.  Don't feel bad."

Daichi watched the librarian swipe his ID before speaking again.  "My name's Daichi, by the way."

The librarian looked between Daichi's ID and Daichi himself.  "Well, glad to know that the name on the card matches the name of the person who handed it to me," he teased.

Daichi felt his face go red.  "Right," he mumbled, "my name's on there."

The librarian laughed again, "Sorry, you make it a little easy for me.  My name's Sugawara Koushi.  My friends call me 'Suga'."

"It's nice to meet you, Suga," Daichi said as Suga scanned his books.

"It's nice to meet you too, Daichi," Suga replied, sliding the books and Daichi's ID back across the counter and beaming up at him.  "Those are due back in two weeks.  If you ever need help finding things, I'm usually here.  Good luck with your paper!"

Daichi scooped the books and ID off the counter with a brief, mumbled "Thanks".  He all but sprinted from the library, face still scarlet from the encounter.  He'd definitely be back.  Hopefully he hadn't made too much of an ass out of himself.  Suga, Daichi decided, was cute.

***

The following week, Daichi returned the books to the library.  He had finished his paper with ease—his professor hadn't been kidding when she said Daichi needed that book—and all he had left to do was return the books.  Daichi's roommate, Asahi, had thought it a little ridiculous that Daichi had triple checked the books to make sure they were in pristine condition before placing them gently in his backpack, but Asahi wasn't the one about to go talk to a cute librarian.  Asahi also thought it was a little ridiculous that Daichi had put on a button up shirt and put a bit of product in his hair, but again, cute librarian. 

It did occur to Daichi that, as he reached the library, that Suga might not be working that day.  Daichi had brushed the thought off; even if Suga wasn’t there, he still had to drop the books back off.  He pushed open the doors, and walked inside.  Sure enough, Suga was at the desk.  He caught sight of Daichi and waved him over.

"Hey," Suga said, "you're back!  How'd your project go?"

"It went really well!" Daichi told him as he pulled the books from his bag.  "Thanks again for your help.  I wouldn't have done half as well as I did without this book."

Suga took the books from Daichi, beaming up at him, "Good, I'm glad!  Was there anything I could help you with today?"

He could do it.  Daichi could say, "You could help me by giving me your number."  But that also seemed pretty creepy to Daichi.  Asking people out where they worked was universally accepted to be a creepy thing to do.  Instead, Daichi took the clueless route.

"Actually, could you help me find the fiction section?" Daichi asked.  "I have some free time and I wanted to do some recreational reading."

Suga looked a little surprised at the request, but got to his feet regardless.  He turned to his coworker—the short man with the spiky hair—and said, "Noya, I'm gonna help him out.  Watch the desk."

Noya gave Suga a thumbs up before returning to his homework.  Suga motioned for Daichi to follow him, and the two made their way towards the stairs.

"Is there a particular kind of book you're looking for?" Suga asked Daichi.

"Actually, I was hoping you could give me some recommendations," Daichi said.  "I don't really get to read a lot, so I was hoping you might have a suggestion."

Suga tapped his chin in thought before asking, "Have you read _1Q84_?  It's by Murakami Haruki."

Daichi had, but he wasn't about to tell Suga that.

"I haven't," Daichi said.  "What's it about?"

Suga led Daichi towards the back of the second floor, where Daichi knew the fiction section to be.  "It's a dystopian novel about a woman who's an assassin, a writer, alternate realities, and weird cults.  It's a little hard to explain, and it's a big book, but it's really good."

"I'm sure I'll enjoy it," Daichi said as Suga plucked the book off the shelf and handed it to him.

"You'll have to tell me if you do or not," Suga told him as he led Daichi back to the circulation desk.  "Murakami's work is pretty hit or miss with some people."

"Oh no, you mean I have to come back to the library to talk to you about a book?" Daichi teased.

"I mean, I certainly won't complain if you do," Suga replied.  "Especially if you're dressed like that."

Daichi wasn't sure if it was the lights overhead, but Suga's ears looked a little red after that comment.  Daichi made up his mind then; he'd be coming in a lot more.

***

It became a habit for Daichi to go to the library at least once a week.  Usually when Suga was working, sometimes when he wasn't.  Suga's entire demeanor brightened every time he caught sight of Daichi walking through the front doors.  Not that it needed to, in Daichi's opinion, Suga was already one of the most personable individuals he'd ever met.  Suga would ask Daichi if he could help him find anything, and Daichi would ask Suga to help with something that, even if Daichi hadn't worked at the library, he could have figured out on his own.  Suga was always happy to help, and was already ready to throw a few teasing jabs Daichi's way.  It made Daichi happy to know that the two of them got along like a house on fire, but he did feel a little guilty that he wasn't telling Suga the whole truth.  Still, Suga always seemed happy to see Daichi, so ulterior motives aside, things were fine.

One afternoon, Daichi entered the library to find Noya sitting at the circulation desk.  Noya looked up from the computer screen long enough to acknowledge Daichi, then turned back to the screen.  Something about the way Noya had looked at Daichi seemed a little off, but Daichi brushed it off as he approached the desk.

"Hey Noya, is Suga around?" he asked.  "I was wondering if he could help me find a book."

Noya turned his attention away from the computer screen, his cat-like eyes locking with Daichi's.  Daichi felt a shiver run down his spine.  Noya leaned forward, resting his elbows on the counter as he steepled his fingers in front of his mouth.

"Does someone who used to work at this library really need _this_ much help?" Noya asked after a minute of silence.

A wave of dread crashed over Daichi; how did Noya know that?  There's no way that he had worked with this guy.  So how did he know?

"W-What are you talking about?" Daichi asked with a nervous chuckle.

" You're Sawamura Daichi, currently a fourth year," Noya stated.  "Employed from the beginning of the 2014 school year to middle of the 2016 school year.  You worked the circulation desk."

"How do you know all of that?" Daichi asked.

Noya crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair, and scoffed at Daichi, "You think I don't know how to break into a filing cabinet?  Especially an old one?"

Alright, that one kind of came out of left field.  "Wait, you broke into the employee record filing cabinet?  How?"

For a moment, Noya's expression brightened.  "Oh, it's easy!  You just take a paper clip and-" Noya trailed off before loudly exclaiming, "THAT'S NOT THE POINT!  The point is: you're lying to Suga.  No idea why, but you are.  And I don't like that at all."

Noya had a point, he had been lying to Suga.  But it had to be better than the alternative, right?

"I'm trying to figure out the best way to ask him out without being that creepy guy who asks someone out at their place of employment," Daichi said, defensive.

"You come in once a week to ask him how to use the library you.  Worked.  For.  It's already creepy, my dude," Noya pointed out.

Daichi winced; another point for Noya.  Before he could formulate a defense, however, someone cut into their conversation.

"Oh, Daichi!  You're here!"

Daichi turned to see Suga pushing a reshelving cart towards the circulation desk.  He stopped the cart in front of the desk and smiled at Daichi.  "What were you two talking about?  You two seemed to be getting a little intense."

The way he saw it, Daichi had two options.  The first option, tell Suga the truth.  Noya had found Daichi out and was mad at him for lying to Suga.  That would have been the mature option to pick.  The second option, lie to Suga some more and hope that Noya went along with it.  But before Daichi could say anything, Noya beat him to it.

"I was just asking Daichi if he could give me some chemistry help," Noya said.  "You know, since biology majors take chemistry classes and all."

Daichi turned to stare at Noya.  Noya stared back, then gave Daichi a subtle nod.

"Noya told me that he had a chemistry professor that I had last year, and that he needed some help with one of the assignments," Daichi lied.

"Seemed like an awfully tense conversation about chemistry homework," Suga commented.

"That's because this professor's an asshole," Noya interjected.  "But Daichi doesn't agree with me."

Daichi shrugged in response; he had no idea if Noya was actually taking a chemistry class or not.  It was better to keep their imagined argument vague.  The answer seemed to satisfy Suga, as he didn't press for any other details.

"Well, as long as you two keep the shouting to a minimum," he remarked.  "Did you need anything, Daichi?"

"Nope, he was just coming to talk to me about the assignment," Noya interjected, pinning Daichi with an intense look.

Suga looked a little taken aback by Noya's sudden outburst.  "Alright, well, let me know if you do need anything," Suga said before disappearing into a back office.

"That was a little rude," Daichi said.

"It was, but also, you're welcome for covering your butt," Noya replied.  "Look, I know it's weird to ask someone out at their place of business.  But Suga doesn't shut up about you, so honestly, just ask him out already."

So, Suga did like him.  That was good.  But why did Daichi feel worse about the situation?  Right, the lying.  That was probably it.  Daichi sighed, running a hand through his short hair.  He'd have to tell Suga the truth.  But first….

"Seriously, how did you break into the filing cabinet?"

Noya turned his attention back to the computer screen as he replied, "It's called 'Google'.  Or do you not know how to use a search engine either?"

Noya hadn't moved his hands, but Daichi knew implied air quotation marks when he heard them. 

***

It had taken Daichi a week and a half of angsting about what the correct course of action should be, but he had ultimately arrived to the conclusion that he didn't know Suga outside of the library, therefore the library would be the only place he could tell Suga the truth.  Without the use of Facebook, anyway.  He had walked into the library, found Suga reshelving books and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Suga, I need to be honest with you," Daichi said.

Suga turned from the shelf, one eyebrow raised.  "Is this about the fact that you used to work here?" Suga asked.

"How did you-?"

"You were the one who taught me the library's layout when I first started here," Suga said.  "Do you not remember that?"

Daichi shook his head.

Suga turned back towards the shelf and said, "Well, that was you.  I thought I recognized you when I first helped you, but the moment you walked up to the circulation desk, I remembered exactly who you were.  I didn't want to be weird about the fact that you quit the week after I started, so I didn't say anything."

"That didn't have anything to do with you, I promise," Daichi reassured him.  "I was offered a research assistant position with the biology department."

Suga turned back to Daichi and smiled at him.  "I kind of figured I had nothing to do with it.  You gave me a tour of the library and then were gone the next day.  You didn't have enough exposure to my particular brand of assholery for that to be what drove you off."

"I'm sorry for lying to you, I just wanted an excuse to talk to you," Daichi said.

"Apology accepted," Suga replied.

"So, if you knew that I knew how to use the library, why did you go along with it?" Daichi asked, resting against the reshelving cart.

Suga picked up a decently-sized boo and smacked Daichi's shoulder with it.  "Well, at first I thought that you genuinely had forgotten how to use the library," Suga teased, "but once I realized that you knew your way around, I didn't want to embarrass you into not coming back."

"So you let me make an ass out of myself," Daichi said.

"So I let you make an ass out of yourself," Suga agreed.  "Because, truth be told, I like seeing you in here.  You're quite the looker, Sawamura."

Daichi fought to keep his cheeks from turning pink, losing pretty spectacularly as the blush spread to the tips of his ears. 

"Judging from the dumbstruck look on your face, you probably feel the same way about me that I do about you," Suga continued, his own face turning pink.  "And I get off work in about 10 minutes.  So why don't the two of us go grab a coffee?  Get to know each other a little more?"

Daichi cleared his throat, "Yeah, I'd like that a lot, actually."

"Good," Suga said, turning back to the bookshelf.

The next ten minutes dragged on longer than Daichi almost could bear, but soon enough, Suga was done for the day.  He gathered his things, clocked out, said his goodbyes to Noya, and met Daichi out front of the library.

"Ready to go?" Suga asked.

"Absolutely," Daichi replied.  After a beat, he added, "You know, Noya got mad at me for this.  He said I was being creepy."

"I knew that's what you two were talking about," Suga muttered.  "Noya wouldn't take a chemistry class if his life depended on it."

"Still, he was nice enough not to spill my secret right away," Daichi said.  "I'm going to have to write him a thank you card."

"Assuming this goes well," Suga teased.

Daichi reached for Suga's hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Something tells me it will."


End file.
